


Just the Four of Us

by lovesnarf (snarfette)



Series: For the Ages [3]
Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Modern AU, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 05:32:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12524100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/lovesnarf
Summary: Edward buys Alfred the perfect early birthday present. (Modern AU, continuation of the fix-it fic because we all needed a happy ending to the Drumfred story.)





	Just the Four of Us

**Author's Note:**

> Seeing as my other modern AU Drumfred fic seemed to please some of you, I thought I’d continue with their modern lives and make a little series of stories about them. Prepare for fluff (literally!). Feedback makes me so happy and will inspire me to write more for these boys, I’m sure.

Waking up without Edward beside him was not something that Alfred enjoyed. He knew that there were times when there was no other choice, when Edward’s work with the government had taken him away from London, or Alfred had been roped in to some whim of Victoria’s, but other than that, he could count on one hand the number of times they hadn’t slept in the same bed and woken up alongside one another since they’d moved in together.

They’d been living together for nearly two years which meant it was nearly two years since Edward had had his near miss leaping in front of the Prime Minister to protect him from a bullet.

At the time, Alfred’s first emotion had obviously been a mixture of upset and fear. The very thought of losing Edward when he’d heard about the shooting had been almost too much to bear. But once things had calmed down and he’d seen that Edward would make a full recovery, despite carrying the scar from the bullet wound for the rest of his days, Alfred had struggled to cope with the aftermath. The incident had only confirmed how much love he felt for Edward, how he couldn’t live without him, but it had also scared him and left him rattled. He’d floated along in a daze for a few days, spending most of his time at Edward’s apartment fussing over him. The problem was something felt different now. It wasn’t anything that he could see or touch, but something inside him felt changed by the events and he just couldn’t identify what it was. That was until Edward, who’d been watching him closely for days, finally forced him to sit down so they could actually talk about something other than did Edward need any more painkillers, or was he comfortable, or did he need a drink?

It had all come tumbling out then: that Alfred was afraid to be without Edward, that he didn’t want to spend time apart from him and waste any of the moments he’d come to realise were so precious. The prospect of losing the person you loved had a strange way of putting everything into perspective.

And then the solution had been so blindingly obvious that there had practically been a lightbulb moment which they both shared at the exact same time. They should move in together. So they had. It had been as simple as that: they both wanted to spend as much time together as possible and it was the next obvious step in their relationship.

That had been nearly two years ago and their only nights apart had been forced on them. So waking up without Edward this morning was a little disconcerting for Alfred.

He sat up in bed reaching across to Edward’s side of the bed and running his hand over the sheets only to find them cold. It was a strange feeling and he didn’t like it. Even if they’d had words before bed, they never slept apart: they’d made that decision after their stupid argument the night before Edward had been injured in the attempt on the Prime Minister’s life. Alfred still remembered vividly the feeling of fear at the possibility of losing Edward and never having had the chance to tell him he loved him again or apologise for saying such foolish things to him in the heat of the moment.

“Edward?” he called towards the bedroom door, but he got no response. He pushed himself up and out of bed, pulling on his dressing gown as he wandered to the door. Just as he pulled it open, Edward opened the front door of the apartment and came rushing in, his eyes widening a little when he saw Alfred standing in the doorframe of their bedroom.

“I didn’t think you’d be up yet,” he said as he pushed the door closed and started to pull his coat off.

“Where have you been? It’s so early,” Alfred asked in confusion as he rubbed at his eyes.

“I had to pop out for a few bits,” Edward told him.

“At eight in the morning? On a Saturday?” Alfred wondered.

Edward stopped in his actions of pulling off his shoes and looked up at Alfred from his position on the sofa. He swallowed thickly and then patted the cushion next to him. “Sit down,” he said.

Something flipped in Alfred’s stomach before he cautiously wandered over to the sofa and sat down next to Edward, looking at him closely to try to gauge what this conversation was going to be about.

“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Edward began and Alfred’s face must have fallen because Edward reached over and took his hand. “You don’t have to look so worried, you know,” he added with a little smile.

Alfred felt himself relax a little and he stared intently at Edward and waited for him to continue.

Smiling fondly at him, Edward continued, “Anyway, I’ve been doing some thinking. And your birthday is next week so I’d been wondering about what to get you and I think I’ve found the perfect thing.” He looked quite pleased with himself and Alfred felt himself relax even further. Edward was quite a romantic and even when they’d first got together and he didn’t have much money to spare he’d liked to find ways to spoil his boyfriend.

“Unfortunately, although I’m sure you won’t mind too much, the present is ready a little early and I can’t hold it off any longer. That’s where I’ve been this morning: sorting out the last bits.”

“Oh,” Alfred said with a little smile, “well, I really don’t mind having it early. I’m sure you’ll be able to give me another present on the day.” He winked at his boyfriend suggestively and Edward rolled his eyes at him playfully.

“Anyway, before you get completely side-tracked,” Edward gave him a little nudge, “I’ve had a serious chat with Duchess about it.”

As if on queue, Edward’s rather regal looking cat jumped up onto the arm of the sofa beside her human. She meowed once and waited patiently for Edward to run his hand over her head before she started purring loudly.

Alfred looked between Edward and the cat in confusion. Duchess stared back at him in her usual manner, almost as if she were constantly reminding him that she tolerated his presence but only because Edward seemed to like having him around for some reason.

It wasn’t like Alfred and the cat didn’t ‘get on’. If Edward wasn’t at home, Duchess was quite happy to follow Alfred around the apartment, accept food from him, and even sit beside him on the sofa. But as soon as Edward walked through the door, her loyalty shifted back to the man who was surely her hero.

They hadn’t been living together for very long, when Edward had arrived at home one day, clutching a small bedraggled cat in his arms. The black and white creature was skinny and scruffy and most definitely a stray. Apparently Edward had seen her a few times from his office window but on this particular day she’d been waiting for him outside when he’d left work for the evening. Despite Alfred trying to tell him that maybe the cat was just looking for her next meal and Edward looked like a soft touch, Edward wasn’t having any of it. Alfred had known instantly, from the look on his soppy boyfriend’s face, that he was completely in love with the cat and there would be no parting them.

After a trip to the vets (which Alfred couldn’t believe could be quite so expensive for something so small) and a quick scan revealing no microchip to show ownership, the cat was officially adopted by a beaming Edward and a slightly more reluctant Alfred. It wasn’t that Alfred didn’t like cats, or didn’t feel any sympathy towards the little cat; it was that he was more of a dog person. He’d always had dogs growing up and he just didn’t really understand the appeal of cats. It was pretty apparent that Edward disagreed as he gushed about going to the pet shop to buy beds and toys and treats for the little fur ball.

It hadn’t taken many weeks for ‘Duchess’ to feel completely at ease in the apartment and to look like a completely different animal to the one that Edward had originally brought home. Edward was completely besotted with the cat and the feeling was obviously mutual.

Since then, Duchess had grown into a beautiful cat (even Alfred could admit that) and she well and truly lived up to her regal title.

“She wasn’t very impressed at first,” Edward continued. “But she’s told me her conditions and I’ve promised it won’t mean we love her any less.”

Alfred must have looked completely baffled (he certainly felt it) because Edward was looking back at him with a smile on his face as if he was playing the best game and he was keeping a massive, exciting secret.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re going on about,” Alfred admitted. He was watching Edward’s facial expressions with raised eyebrows, wondering if his boyfriend had gone mad.

Edward must have taken pity on Alfred because he squeezed his hand and then pushed himself up off the sofa. “Wait right there,” he said with another grin before he disappeared out of the apartment door again.

This was the most bizarre morning. Alfred wasn’t sure he was even awake yet. Maybe everything was all some weird half-awake dream and he wasn’t actually even out of bed yet. Edward was certainly acting strangely enough.

There was no sign of Edward for a while and Alfred contemplated just following him out of the apartment, but he didn’t want to ruin whatever Edward was planning by being impatient.

Eventually the door opened a crack and Edward stuck his head through. “Close your eyes,” he said. It was obvious that he was trying not to laugh.

Alfred gave him a doubtful look. It was too early for all this buggering about.

“Oh fine, be boring!” Edward rolled his eyes at him and laughed again. He was clearly enjoying himself with whatever game he was playing. “I don’t think it would matter anyway.”

With that, he flung the door open fully and revealed a tiny, black, brown and white puppy straining at a red lead, its little paws scrabbling against the wooden floor in the doorway as it desperately tried to get inside the apartment.

Alfred’s mouth actually flapped open and he stared in shock. His eyes flicked between the puppy and Edward’s beaming face, not sure if he quite believed what he was seeing.

Edward pushed the door closed and bounded over to the sofa with the puppy jumping about and clearly as excited as the man holding the lead. Duchess promptly jumped over the back of the sofa and disappeared into the bedroom at the approach of the pair of them.

“What is going on?” Alfred asked in bewilderment.

“Happy birthday,” Edward replied simply as he pressed a kiss to the top of Alfred’s head and handed him the lead.

“What?” Alfred gasped.

Edward couldn’t contain his laughter at the look on Alfred’s face. “I know you’ve been secretly wishing we had a dog for ages. And I see how you go all gooey over Dash. So I found a breeder and reserved a puppy for your birthday. Didn’t quite get the timing right so he’s a week early, but I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Oh my god.” Alfred shook his head in disbelief. The puppy was jumping up at his legs and Alfred was unable to resist ruffling his silky ears and grinning down at the little chap. “I don’t know what to say,” he murmured as he looked up at Edward with slightly glassy eyes. He was feeling a little overwhelmed.

Edward simply grinned at him again. He looked so pleased with himself and he clearly couldn’t wipe the dopey smile off his face. “Say I’m the best boyfriend in the world and that you’ll love me forever and that you want to keep this little guy and make him part of our family.”

Alfred laughed before he surged forwards to kiss Edward’s still smiling lips. “You are the best boyfriend in the world and I _do_ love you, so much,” he said quietly as he pulled back and rested their foreheads together. “Thank you so much for this. I think I love him already,” Alfred told him as he scooped the tiny dog into his arms and cuddled him close. “And yes, I want to keep him.”

Edward tickled the puppy and then booped him on the nose when he tried to bite his fingers. “There’ll be none of that, young man,” he said in a falsely stern voice. “I’ll have to set Duchess on you if there’s any rule breaking.” The puppy merely looked at him and then licked his hand happily.

“We’ll need a name for you, won’t we?” Alfred said as he placed the pooch back onto the floor and watched him start sniffing round at everything. “What about Charlie?” he asked as he looked back at Edward.

“Charlie the King Charles Spaniel sounds appropriate,” he agreed with a bright smile. “And very original.”

“Charlie!” Alfred called out. The dog didn’t even look at him as he continued his quest around their living room. “You do realise our peace has been shattered for at least a year, don’t you?”

Edward just laughed again. “I’m sure we’ll manage.”

***

That night they were both pretty tired when they eventually climbed into bed. A full day of looking after Charlie, taking him for walks and a trip to the pet shop to buy far too much stuff for one dog, had left them weary but happy. And not too exhausted for Alfred to want to show Edward how much he appreciated his present.

He pressed himself against Edward, kissing down his bare chest as he pinned his arms above his head. “I love you, you know,” Alfred told him between kisses. “You really are the best boyfriend.”

Edward chuckled slightly and then moaned as Alfred’s teeth grazed across his nipple. “If I’d have known how grateful you’d be, I’d have bought you a puppy _ages_ ago,” he laughed.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at him but continued his actions, releasing one of Edward’s hands so he could trail his fingers down Edward’s sides and towards the waistband of his boxer shorts. He palmed at the bulge in Edward’s underwear, making him gasp and buck up slightly to chase the feeling, and was about to slip his hand under the elastic waistband when a pitiful whining sound broke through the otherwise quiet apartment.

They both stilled. They looked at one another in the lamplight. They waited. Maybe Charlie would just go back to sleep. They should have known they’d have no such luck; the puppy starting crying and yipping from the kitchen where he had been closed in for the night and they knew that they’d have to go and check on him.

Edward sighed dramatically. “Cock-blocked by a puppy,” he said with a shake of his head.

Alfred groaned. He’d really wanted to show Edward his appreciation. “I’ll go,” he volunteered. “And I’ll make it up to you when I get back.” He winked at Edward, pressed a kiss to his lips and pushed himself up out of the bed. He pulled on his dressing gown and slipped out of the bedroom and across the apartment to the kitchen.

“Hey, now, little boy,” he cooed at Charlie when he pushed the door open and the puppy immediately jumped up at his legs. “You can’t be doing this every night. Your daddies have important...stuff to be doing. Like sleeping and other things.”

He led the dog back to its bed and decided to sit down next to him to get him settled. He wondered if he should have brought a book so he could do a bedtime story and then chuckled quietly to himself. That was the sort of silliness that Edward would suggest. The other man was seriously rubbing off on him.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting beside the dog bed, but eventually Charlie had drifted off, his front paws twitching as though he was dreaming, so Alfred decided it was safe to creep back out of the kitchen and back to Edward who was probably getting bored of waiting. Alfred hoped he hadn’t picked up one of his boring policy documents while he’d been waiting because that was a sure fire way to kill the mood.

He tiptoed back into the bedroom, planning on picking up where they’d left off, his heart thudding at the very thought of it, only to come to a stop as he approached the bed.

Edward was lying on his side, fast asleep, snuggled up under the duvet. He looked so beautiful and so peaceful that Alfred didn’t have the heart to wake him. He took another step closer and then his eyes widened a little at the sight of Duchess curled up in the curve of Edward’s body. She too was fast asleep and they made quite a contented pair.

Alfred sighed and climbed into bed. Lifting the covers caused Duchess to stir and she looked at him as if to say, “I was here first; don’t even think of moving me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Alfred whispered to her, and then snuggled down in the bed.

He wondered if one day, when Charlie was a bit older, he’d end up sleeping in their room too. The thought of it brought a contented little smile to his face. He leant over, being careful not to disturb either the cat or his boyfriend, and pressed a soft kiss to Edward’s forehead.

He’d have plenty of other nights to thank Edward for his birthday present.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought.


End file.
